8xid_Burned: A Developers Perspective

Out of the Digital Darkness

Greetings Gamers,
Well it's been a while. Time to see if this machine still runs or not. After a few days of tweaking, changing fluids, and rebuilding, RPGX seems like it just might be ready to come back into the light. And for that I am very happy. Many of you have stayed members and been active on the forums, you guys are the ones that keep the dream of RPGX alive. For that I am very grateful and happy to have you around. Give yourselves a pat on the back - you freaking earned it.

So now that I have gotten things sorted out, it's time to return tot he gaming scene in full force. With Christmas right around the corner I beginning to get geared up for a new year of gaming. It means a new start (and with Christmas only weeks away) it mean that I will have new games to play and talk about.

Finally, I think I have gotten the gamer blogs sorted out. (You're reading one right now.) They really are neat little add-ons to the RPGX site and I'm very happy that they might work. Everyone should feel free to activate theirs and use them to jot down their thoughts and ideas on gaming. Blogs are more than just tools for starting discussions (we have the forums for that) but a way to have a more interactive drawn out point to make. While there is a character limit on standard forum posts (a big one, but it's there) there are no limitations on blog posts. It's also a way to get your ideas published in a more mainstream format that will allow your topics to be posted to the main page for all visitors (not just members) to see. While we are no longer in the news business (per say) we are still a team of gamers dedicated to improving the gaming experience - keep that in mind when you are writing and you should be within the spirit of the site. Blogs are for articles, walk-throughs, Pen/Paper Character Bios, Open Source Rules you are working on... You name it. Blogs in the past have been hard and cumbersome to find, but now they can be navigated to via home page, the top of the board, or through the members section. If you start a blog, you will have to contact a moderator to be added to the list.

Another great new vehicle of gaming destruction I have added tot he RPGX lineup... the integration of the clan idea. During our little sabbatical I ran a little side experiment "Multi-Game Clan" on a third party website called "Digital Darkness." While this did not go according to my original plan, the Clan itself saw some very promising success until I shut the project down to regroup and rethink my strategy. The conclusion that I cam to was integrating the clan into the RPGX community by making the clan a sub group within the site. The result is what you have now - The RPGX Multi-Game Clan. Finally us "pro" gamers can put our money where our mouth is - Less talk and more rock is my motto. While still technically part of the same site and same forums, RPGX Clan members have a few special areas and toys set aside just for them. And for those of you who aren't PC console gamers, but are interested in what we're up to; Leaderboards and events are public - It's like keeping up with your favorite baseball team. You don't get out there and pitch for them, but you can still watch he games and check the scores. Brilliant if you ask me. As part of the clan addition I'm proud to say that we are adding 4 new servers to the mix. 3 Game servers and one for Voice Chat. (Right now the old voice chat is down, but it's coming back strong.)

Role-Playing you ask? Yeah, I'm writing. In fact some of you may already be following along on my latest Vampire game. It's something like I haven't done before. It will be a P&P style game played on weekends, but during the week will have an online element mixed in. Players who do not live locally will still have a way to interact with the characters and effect the story in minor ways. I have not been this excited about one of my own games in a while. It could be the best chronicle ever (or the worst.)

Work on the RPGX system has pretty much stopped. As I get older I really no longer feel the need to make a system. So much out there works so well, why screw with it? At the time when I started, so little represented what I wanted to do, now days systems are pretty complete and take little adaptation to make work. While this might sound sad at first; consider this; Now I am free to write nothing but pure source material. Rules work was never my biggest strong point - writing epic plots for stories; that's what I do, Now I can do that. Starting with some minor one shots set in a couple of different universes (stuff rolling around in my head) eventually I will work up to some city guides for Chaos Theory, Character books, and a Conspiracy Guide...

Last but not least, how are we celebrating? Well, don't be dense. We're having a LAN party to kick it all off. For the first time in a while RPGX is having an all out video-game bash. A little Unreal2k4 and Starcraft should get is in the mood for some online play for the year. So tell your friends, tell your grandma, and sign up to play with us. We're back baby, because nothing keeps this gamer down for long.

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